CIPFA’s Finance Advisory Network and Revenues and Benefits Service

Local Government Financial Reform – Facing the Challenges

9.30 – 10.00 / Coffee and Registration
10.00 – 10.10 / Welcome and objectives
10.10 – 11.15 / Assessing the Local Government Financial Reform Landscape
This session brings together the key financial challenges facing Local Authorities in the coming months; examining the financial framework and how it may impact on the work of accountants and revenues colleagues. The following elements will be considered;
  • The Spending Review 2013 – What headline messages do we need to understand from the current position and what might be the position in 2015?
  • A summary and discussion of the key – current\futurelocal government financial reform policy initiatives and their potential effect on authorities.
  • Local Government Structure and Service Delivery –A review of the principal future strategies and approaches
  • Discussion - What are the main Local Government Financial reform challenges and how can we meet them?

11.15 – 11.30 / Break
11.30 – 12.45 / Funding the Local Government Financial Reform Agenda
This session will cover the following elements:
  • Local Government Finance Act – An examination of issues still under consideration and emerging evidence relating to the Council Tax and NDR changes (NDR Reliefs\Appeals and C Tax Scheme legal challenges)
  • NDR Accounting – Dealing with the transition from old to new funding systems– outline accounting approaches and the results of the CIPFA NDR accounting consultation
  • NDR Collection rates and the cost of impairment
  • Understanding the NDR budgetary process and associated audit risk elements
  • Consideration of any revisions to the NNDR returns structures and mapping it to the Collection Fund and General Fund budget monitoring processes
  • Preparing,Monitoring and Managing the NDR budget
  • Discussion – What are the respective roles of finance and revenue officers in delivering the Local Government Financial Reform agenda?

12.45 – 13.45 / Lunch
13.45 – 15.45 / Welfare Reforms –
The Welfare reform agenda has implications for the financial health of authorities and the services that they provide. This session looks at what those changes are and how accountants, and revenues and benefits staff need to work together on this agenda. Among the questions we will consider are :
  • What are the welfare reform changes?
  • What legal framework will define activity?
  • What local framework will define activity?
  • What are the financial implications of those changes?
  • What are the administrative and service changes required?
  • What are the additional collection costs for council tax and rent? How will an authority manage their discretionary powers and budgets?
  • What strategic and operational decisions need to be made?
  • What data sharing facilities are available?
  • What audit considerations should be made?
  • As each of these question is considered solutions and suggestions will be identified.
The session finishes in a Discussion on what joined up working arrangements are required to successfully implement this agenda ?Within this session delegates will be asked to participate in a numbers of interactive discussions with participants.
15.45 – 16.00 / Summary,feedback and future sessions.

The facilitators for this event will be Joanne Pitt and Sheldon Wood from CIPFA’s Revenues and Benefits Service and Roman Haluszczak and Caroline White from the CIPFA FAN.

Please be aware that we do not provide hardcopy course materials to delegates on the day of the event. These are now distributed by email in advance of the event

We reserve the right to alter the timing or content of sessions where circumstances require.